Taco Tater Tot Casserole is a festive update on the original "OG" Tater Tot Hotdish recipe with south of the (Minnesota) border flavors, including taco seasoning and salsa con queso!
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What is Tater Tot Hotdish (Casserole)?
It's a Midwestern culinary delicacy. You may know it as a casserole. But not around these parts. Because a casserole is just a hotdish with attitude.
It’s hearty. It’s got meat. It’s got potatoes (in tot form!). And it’s got mad flavor, you betcha.
It's a one-pan wonder, typically consisting of a base of ground beef and usually, a vegetable like green beans or corn, held together by cream of mushroom soup (from the can). Then it's finished off with rows of tater tots.
This hotdish recipe is me on a plate. Everything I love about a familiar and comforting Midwestern dish punched up with south of the (Minnesota) border flavors.
Even those that sneer at the greatness of plain ‘ol tater tot hot dish (-1 friendship point) will find themselves enamored by this taco-inspired version.
Love casseroles? You've got to try my Pork Enchilada Casserole and this Baked Feta Pasta next!
Why You Will Love This Mexican-Style Tater Tot Hot Dish Recipe
- Makes Plenty. This tater tot casserole could easily feed 6-8 people and you can easily double or triple the recipe if you're trying to feed a small army. If you're making this for two, you will definitely have leftovers (for the win!).
- One of the Best Things Ever. Tater tot hotdish is unquestionably delicious; as are tacos. Combine the two and you get a Midwexican fusion of awesomeness: a Mexican-Style Tater Tot Hot Dish. I also like to refer to this fantastic one-dish wonder as Cheesy Tater Tot Hotdish because it uses a whole jar of salsa con queso! This hotdish is cheesy to the MAX!
- Easy Dinner Recipe. It's simple, semi-homemade, and doesn't dirty many dishes. You throw it together in a pan, then let the oven do the work.
- Versatile and Customizable. It’s easy to change to suit your tastes/help you use up whatever’s in your refrigerator. I won’t be offended if you don’t follow my recipe exactly. Recipes are only guidelines after all. And this casserole recipe is pretty amenable to substitutions and additions.
Ingredients
This Mexican tater tot casserole recipe calls for more ingredients than the OG recipe (which is usually cream of something soup, milk, ground beef, maybe some green beans or corn, and frozen tater tots), but it's worth it. It's packed with flavor, super cheesy, and brings on the veggies.
- Ground beef - Ground beef is traditional here, but you could also try it with shredded beef or another protein like ground pork or chicken.
- Vegetables - Onion, green bell pepper, corn, and jalapenos all get added to the mix here, making every bite fiesta-forward.
- Pinto or black beans - Either one works great here!
- Beef stock - You can of course use vegetable or chicken stock instead, but I like the beef-on-beef action here.
- Taco seasoning - Store-bought keeps things easy but you can use homemade taco seasoning if you prefer, like this Low Sodium Taco Seasoning. Even better, try this Spicy Adobo Seasoning.
- Chipotle chili pepper - Because why not? I like to push the flavor further, but you could always leave this out.
- Salsa con queso - I used this jarred salsa con queso by Tostitos. It's the perfect amount for this recipe (15 ounces).
- Tater tots - Extra crispy are best! You'll have about 2 dozen or so leftover to use for another meal. You could top with seasoned tots instead of plain tots if you want extra flavor.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below - keep scrolling!
How to Make Taco Tater Tot Hotdish - Directions
To get started, gather your ingredients and preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Seriously, don’t skip this step; no one likes soggy tots. At the same time, spray a 7x11 inch baking dish with cooking spray; you don’t want this deliciousness sticking to the dish instead of the inside of your belly.
- Step 1: Cook the ground beef in a large heated skillet over medium-high heat, using a spatula to break the meat apart. Cook while stirring frequently, until the meat is completely browned, which will take 6 to 8 minutes. When ready, remove the skillet from the heat and drain off any excess grease.
- Step 2: Return the skillet to the stovetop and add the diced onion and green bell pepper, taco seasoning mix, ancho chili powder, and beef stock. Simmer for 5 minutes, uncovered, or until the excess liquid has been absorbed.
- Step 3: Remove from the heat and add the corn, jalapenos, (pinto or black) beans, and salsa con queso. Stir until well combined.
- Step 4: Pour the contents of the skillet into the greased baking dish and gently pat it down into an even layer. Arrange the tater tots in a single layer on top.
- Step 5: Bake, uncovered, on the center rack of the oven for about 40 minutes, or until the tater tots are golden brown and crispy. Crank the heat up to 450 during the last 3-5 minutes to finish crisping up the tots.
- Step 6: Remove from oven and let cool for at least 5 minutes before eating, or you’ll burn your face hole, don’t ‘cha know?
- Step 7: Serve with all the fixings. I like thinly sliced black olives, green onion, and jalapeno, as well as sour cream or crema and maybe even some salsa or hot sauce if I’m feeling particularly zesty.
Tips for the BEST Taco Tater Tot Hotdish
Tip 1. Set your future self up for success. Put a baking sheet under the pan in case the casserole cooks over (as you can see, mine did). This will save you the trouble of needing to clean your oven, and your future self will thank you.
Tip 2. Fully degrease that meat. After cooking the ground beef, strain off any excess grease to avoid a greasy casserole. I like to run cooked ground beef through a fine mesh strainer, followed by a rest on a bed of paper towels.
Tip 3. Broil at the end. Increase your heat towards the very end of cooking time to blast those tater tots with a last-minute high dose of heat designed to crisp 'em up.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can assemble this casserole up to 24 hours in advance. Simply cover up the pan and refrigerate it until you are ready to cook.
When ready to bake, let the casserole sit at room temperature for 20 minutes first; remove it from the fridge as you preheat the oven.
I won't lie to you, the bottoms of the tots will be soggy. But to get the tops nice and crispy, arrange the tater tots in a single layer and bake uncovered. And broil for the last few minutes of cooking to really crisp up the tops of the tots.
Store leftover tater tot hotdish in a lidded container in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Bake uncovered until heated through; bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
More Delicious Dinner Recipes to Try
If you tried this taco tater tot casserole recipe (or any other recipe on Midwexican), please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it turned out in the 📝 comments below!
Taco Tater Tot Casserole
Equipment
- 7x11 baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small-to-medium-sized onion diced
- ½ green bell pepper
- ⅔ cup beef stock
- 1 1 ounce packet taco seasoning
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper
- 1 15.5 ounce can corn drained
- 1 15.5 ounce can pinto or black beans
- 1 4 ounce can jalapenos diced
- 1 15 ounce jar salsa con queso (I used Tostitos)
- 1 28 ounce bag tater tots (extra crispy)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Seriously, don’t skip this step; no one likes soggy tots.
- Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat. Add the ground beef to the skillet, using a spatula to break the meat apart. Cook, stirring frequently, until the meat is completely browned, which will take 6 to 8minutes. Remove the skillet from heat and drain off any excess grease.1 pound ground beef
- Return the skillet to the stovetop. Add diced onion and green bell pepper, taco seasoning mix, chipotle chili powder, and beef stock.1 small-to-medium-sized onion, ½ green bell pepper, 1 1 ounce packet taco seasoning, 1 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper, ⅔ cup beef stock
- Simmer for 5 minutes, uncovered, or until the excess liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat and add corn, jalapenos, (pinto or black) beans, and salsa con queso. Stir until well combined.1 15.5 ounce can corn, 1 15.5 ounce can pinto or black beans, 1 4 ounce can jalapenos, 1 15 ounce jar salsa con queso
- Spray a 7x11 inch baking dish with cooking spray; you don’t want this deliciousness sticking to the dish instead of the inside of your belly.
- Pour the contents of the skillet into the greased baking dish and gently pat down into an even layer. Arrange the tater tots in a single layer on top.1 28 ounce bag tater tots
- Bake, uncovered, on center rack for about 40 minutes, or until the tater tots are golden brown and crispy. Crank the heat up to 450 during the last 3-5 minutes to finish crisping up the tots.
- My recommendation is to put a baking sheet under the pan, in case of boil over (as you can see, mine did).
- Remove from oven and let cool for at least 5 minutes before eating, or you’ll burn your face hole, don’t ‘cha know?
- I like to eat my Tex-Mex Tater Tot Hot Dish with all the fixings. Thinly sliced black olives, green onion, and jalapeno, as well as sour cream or crema and maybe even some salsa or hot sauce if I’m feeling particularly zesty.
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